Shopping For Seeds, Grains, Beans and Nuts

If you are just beginning your journey with natural foods you may have not heard of many of the ingredients. Be adventurous and experiment. In a short time you can transform your kitchen and your life.

Whenever possible, I suggest that you buy local organic food free of chemicals and pesticides. Food begins to lose vital energy the moment that it is harvested. When we buy local we cultivate bonds with our community and contribute to its economy and its overall vitality.

The concept of eating clean food and fasting is ancient. In the scared books of the worlds great mystical traditions there are prescribed seasons and times dedicated to fasting and atonement. Food is used to attain equilibrium with the body, the soul, the surroundings and the cosmos.

Sustainability is a big concern for many people in many different countries. That is why I am attempting to cultivate my own food as much as possible. Without much effort you can have culinary herbs that are easy to cultivate in pots like some of my favorites: rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, tarragon and arugula. A few basil leaves will make any dish shine, and the economy and joy of having an herb garden is well worth the effort.

If you buy seeds, grains or beans that do not sprout or only a small percentage sprout, the most likely reason is that they are old. If it is warm where you live and you are not going to consume your inventory in a couple of months it is important that you refrigerate your stock. With heat and time the sprouting capacity of seeds, grains, legumes and nuts is stunted. You can freeze your inventory extending their shelf life for years. If you always cook your legumes and grains you will not notice if they are fresh enough to sprout.

Remember that all nuts, seeds, grains and beans need to be raw and not be processed in any way. Toasted and roasted almonds and sunflower seeds have been heated and will therefore not sprout.

I grouped the ingredients by category so that they can be easily linked to the recipes and so that you can be introduced to natural foods. My desire is to make things as simple as possible so that you find the process of sprouting to be a viable endeavor. I trust that you will discover a new culinary frontier and that you always enjoy good conversation and company at the dinner table.

Sprouting makes you have to think ahead before planning a menu. If you want to serve a vegan sprouted almond loaf, you prep will include soaking the almonds about 12 to 24 hours, processing them with seasoning and dehydrating for at least 6 hours. If you want to serve sprouted mustard you will need about an 8 day lead time to have the blend settle or better yet let it settle for two weeks. The alternative to thinking ahead and soaking is going to a multinational or a health food store and buy cartons of watered down nut and bean milks packaged with preservatives, and then dealing with non recyclable cartons. When you make your own food from prime ingredients you will reduce your trash and recycling by a great measure. The cleaner your diet the less trash you will have to deal with.

In the following lesson Special Ingredients And Equipment there is a detailed shopping list of my personal vendors and the specility items I buy from them. Most importantly, I have discussed the value of buying local and sourcing quality seeds and dry goods for reputable vendors. I have survived a few minor natural disasters and the famous Hurricane María with a pantry full of seeds, nuts, grains and beans making the events a lot more bearable. There are many good reasons to learn how to sprout and organize your natural food kitchen.

There is a flood of free information on sprouting all over the Internet. The trick is putting it all together, finding the best suppliers, and planning a menu that you will like, and making it viable both in cost and in time. Getting started is where most people get stuck. You have a new culinary language to learn if you are just getting started with natural foods and a lot of recipes to play with. And if you already are familiar with natural foods I hope you will find some new ingredients in the recipes that will spice up your existing diet. Sprouting will make your kitchen come to life.